While Phil Mickelson and Henrik Stenson were battling down the stretch to win The Open Championship in 2016 at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland, Utah’s Tony Finau was getting his first taste of the race to become the Champion Golfer of the Year.
Before the epic battle that saw Mickelson shoot a 65 the final day and Stenson shoot a 63 to win, Finau shot a final-round 74, leaving him in a tie for 18th place at even-par 284.
Finau, who was born in Salt Lake City and now splits time between homes in Lehi, Utah, and Scottsdale, Arizona, said after the tournament mostly known in America as the British Open that seaside links golf fit his game fairly well and he would one day contend for titles on those types of courses.
Has that time come?
Finau enters this week’s 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon — the tournament’s first visit to the site of Stenson’s victory eight years ago — among the favorites (+4000) in a group that includes Cameron Smith, Patrick Cantlay and Tom Kim, according to USA Today. Reigning Masters champion Scottie Scheffler is the biggest favorite (+500), followed by Rory McIlroy (+750) and Ludvig Aberg (+1200).
U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau and PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele are in the top five.
Finau hasn’t said much publicly since he tied for third at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, but he did appear on the “GoJo and Golic” Podcast on June 20 and said he feels like he is “getting closer” to winning that elusive first major.
“Any time you are in contention in a major championship on a Sunday, that’s what it is all about,” Finau said. “It is really cool stuff.”
He also put in a plug to name Utah’s new National Hockey League team the “Utah Yeti” — and his voice in that regard is considerable since he is close friends with owner Ryan Smith, a fellow golf enthusiast who has caddied for Finau in tournaments in the past.
Finau, 34, has been playing well, but not frequently, the past month. He tied for fifth at The Travelers in Connecticut the week after his final-round charge at Pinehurst, but hasn’t played in a tournament since. So he enters The Open with five top-20 finishes in his last five tournaments, and three top 10s.
Golfweek called him one of the 10 best players at the British Open over the last five years, and for good reason.
Although he missed the cut at Royal Liverpool last year (American Brian Harman won in a runaway), Finau had made the previous six cuts at the event. His best finishes across the pond were a tie for ninth at Carnoustie in 2018, a solo third at Royal Portrush in 2019 and a tie for 15th at Royal St. George’s in 2021.
The Utahn has posted 11 top 10s and made the cut in 27 of the 33 majors in which he’s played.
“Tony has been playing some good golf lately and I wouldn’t be surprised if he plays well this week, too,” Bob Casper of Real Golf Radio told the KSL Sports Zone on Tuesday.
Casper reminded listeners that there is a lot of luck involved in the British Open, particularly in regards to the weather. Rain and windy conditions come and go in South Ayrshire, Scotland, greatly affecting the scores.
Rough weather is expected Thursday, Friday and Sunday at the classical ocean links course that will play at a par-71 and at almost 7,400 yards.
Finau tees off Thursday at 2:25 a.m. MDT in a group that includes Russell Henley and Matthieu Pavon.
The threesome’s tee time Friday is 7:26 a.m. MDT.
Since missing the cut in The Open last year, Finau has been mostly stellar in majors in 2024. He tied for 55th at the Masters after ballooning to an 80 in his final round at Augusta National in April, then rebounded with a T18 finish at the PGA Championship at Valhalla and the T3 finish at the U.S. Open.
“The four most exciting events in golf are the four major championships,” Finau said, when asked if the competing LIV Tour is good for golf. “You got all the best players in the world there. … These guys are a force to be reckoned with, no matter what tour they are playing on. They are world-class players.
“At the end of the day, it would be nice to have all of us competing together more often, but I don’t know if that is going to happen, so we just enjoy the four majors for now.”
